European Accessibility Act (EAA) Compliance in the Netherlands
The European Accessibility Act reached the Netherlands through the Implementatiewet toegankelijkheidsvoorschriften producten en diensten, in force since 28 June 2025. It requires a defined set of consumer products and digital services (including webshops, consumer banking, e-books, transport ticketing and telecoms) to meet specific accessibility requirements.
Scan your site free- National law
- Implementatiewet toegankelijkheidsvoorschriften producten en diensten
- Web standard
- EN 301 549 is the reference standard for digital accessibility
- Enforcement
- The ACM (Autoriteit Consument en Markt) supervises e-commerce and electronic communications services
Who has to comply in the Netherlands
Businesses that sell covered products or provide covered services to consumers in the Netherlands must comply. Covered services include webshops (e-commerce), consumer banking, e-books, transport ticketing and telecoms. Micro-enterprises providing services are exempt: fewer than 10 employees, and annual turnover or annual balance sheet total of no more than EUR 2 million. Reach 10 employees, or exceed both financial limits, and the obligations apply.
The deadlines that matter
Implementatiewet in force: products placed on the market and services, including webshops that already existed, must comply
European Commission sends the Netherlands an additional reasoned opinion, INFR(2022)0315, for incomplete transposition
End of the transition for products already used to provide a service before 28 June 2025, and last date for service contracts agreed before then
The law in the Netherlands
National law
Implementatiewet toegankelijkheidsvoorschriften producten en diensten, the Dutch law that transposes Directive (EU) 2019/882 (the European Accessibility Act) into national law. On 30 January 2026 the European Commission sent the Netherlands an additional reasoned opinion, INFR(2022)0315, holding that transposition is still incomplete.
Web standard
EN 301 549 is the reference standard for digital accessibility. WCAG 2.1 AA is the current public-sector legal floor; WCAG 2.2 AA is best practice and the level to aim for on new work.
Enforcement
Supervision is split across six authorities. The ACM (Autoriteit Consument en Markt) supervises e-commerce and electronic communications services, and the AFM (Autoriteit Financiële Markten) supervises consumer banking and financial e-commerce services. The Rijksinspectie Digitale Infrastructuur (RDI) covers the products, the Commissariaat voor de Media e-books and access to audiovisual media, the Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport (ILT) passenger transport, and the Inspectie Justitie en Veiligheid the 112 emergency number. The public-sector regime under the Tijdelijk besluit digitale toegankelijkheid overheid is separate and does not apply to private businesses.
How Conforma helps in the Netherlands
Conforma scans your site against WCAG 2.2 AA and EN 301 549, lists the specific failures to fix, and generates a Netherlands-specific accessibility statement plus a dated compliance record. You end up with a record of where you stand under the Implementatiewet, issue by issue.
Netherlands EAA questions, answered
Does the European Accessibility Act apply to my Dutch webshop?
Yes, if you sell to consumers in the Netherlands and are not an exempt micro-enterprise. Webshops (e-commerce) are explicitly among the covered services. You are exempt only with fewer than 10 employees, and annual turnover or annual balance sheet total of no more than EUR 2 million.
What is the deadline for EAA compliance in the Netherlands?
The Implementatiewet has applied since 28 June 2025, to existing webshops as well as new ones, and the ACM states that there is no transitional period for services. Until 28 June 2030 a provider may keep using products it already used lawfully before 28 June 2025, and service contracts agreed before 28 June 2025 may run unchanged until they expire, for at most five years. Self-service terminals already in use may stay to the end of their economic life, for at most 20 years.
Which accessibility standard do I have to meet?
The reference standard is EN 301 549. WCAG 2.1 AA is the current public-sector legal floor, and WCAG 2.2 AA is considered best practice, the level to target for new and updated services.
Is the Dutch EAA law the same as the rules for government websites?
No, they are two separate regimes. The EAA (Implementatiewet) covers private-sector products and services. The public sector is governed by a different law, the Tijdelijk besluit digitale toegankelijkheid overheid (2018), where accessibility statements are filed in the central register at toegankelijkheidsverklaring.nl, oversight sits with the RDI, and status is graded A to E. Those government rules do not apply to private businesses under the EAA.
This page is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. Check the cited national law for specifics.
Common fixes to check
Most sites fail the same WCAG checks first. Each guide has a plain-language fix and a before/after snippet you can copy.
The same Act, elsewhere in the EU
The Act is one directive, and each member state has transposed it into its own national law. Each of our 27 country pages names the statute and the body that enforces it, with the dates that apply there.
Also worth reading: what the first EAA court ruling decided, the free accessibility statement generator and the colour contrast checker.
See where your site stands in seconds
A free scan against WCAG 2.2 AA, a plain-language fix for every issue, and a Netherlands-specific accessibility statement when you need one.